COVID-19 AND THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING FORTHCOMING MEETINGS
The COVID-19/ Coronavirus pandemic and the unprecedented in peacetime
Government measures in response to the crisis (e.g. prohibitions on gatherings, social distancing, self-isolation and shielding of those deemed to be the most vulnerable) have meant that the requirement for local authorities to hold public meetings in person with all members present in one place cannot be met. In recognition of the problem of holding and attending meetings, and further to the lobbying of NALC and others, the Government included s.78 in the Coronavirus Act 2020. This section gave the Secretary of State the power to make Regulations to make provisions for the holding of meetings. The 2020 Regulations set out those provisions.
- The 2020 Regulations permit the holding of remote meetings, with conditions.
- Local councils can decide the methods they will use to facilitate the holding of remote meetings.
- There is no requirement to hold an annual meeting.
Please find below a copy of NALC’s Legal Topic Note providing further details on the Regulations:
In accordance with these regulations:
- The Annual Parish Meeting that was due to be held on Tuesday 19th May will not be called. There is nothing in the regulations permitting parish meetings to take place remotely and it is, therefore, NALC’s view that under the current Government Guidance, the annual parish meeting of electors should not take place.
- Regulation 5 permits the holding of remote meetings. The first of these will be held on Tuesday 28th April at 7.30pm via the video conferencing software ‘Zoom’. A copy of the Agenda will be published on the Agenda Page on the website (adhering to regulation which has amended s.1 (4) (a) of the 1960 Act so that public notice is deemed to be given if the time and place of the meeting is published on the authority’s website). A copy of the Zoom link will be published with the Agenda and meeting papers, enabling the press and members of the public to join the meeting (adhering to Regulation 5(2) of the 2020 regulations).
The Bronze Age “White Town” with links from the border battles to the charge of the Light Brigade.
A conservation area with an open, friendly community that knows its past and plans for the future, integrating everyone’s needs with cohesion and identity.
